Particularly since he had already been honored as a "Hometown Hero'' by Fox 25 during the morning news crew's "Zip Trip'' in July.

Assencoa, a past Knights of Columbus' Grand Knight, is membership committee chairman for the Ashland Lions this year, active with the town's Council on Aging and Democratic Town Committee, and with Special Olympics as well.

Why take on so much?

"Number one is my wife,'' he said of Maureen, to whom he has been married since 1969. "If it wasn't for (her), I wouldn't be able to do any of this.''

"I push him out the door every day,'' the mother of the two youngest of his six children replied with a smile.

The other motivating factor: "The grandkids. That's why I'm doing it. Maybe when I'm no longer here, they'll remember some of the things Grampy used to do, and step up,'' he said.

"Family is everything to him and vice-versa,'' said Ciccolo.

Assencoa, one of seven siblings, grew up in Framingham near the Natick line on Waverly Street.

His father, who was originally from Cape Verde, died when Assencoa was 12. His mother took on several jobs to keep the family afloat. Among them was taking in laundry. "She used to iron (Framingham) police officers' shirts,'' he recalled.

"I can remember times when the Salvation Army would bring us gifts at Christmas. I finally figured it out when there were ages, not names, on the gifts.''

Perhaps that helped spark his desire to help others?

"I'm pretty sure it did.''

The 1957 graduate of Framingham High has many happy memories of growing up where - and when- he did.

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"We used to pick scrap in my backyard and take it to Framingham Salvage. That's how we got money to go to the movies'' at one of the theaters downtown. "Howie Kee (who went on to become a longtime member of the Framingham Police force) used to sing during intermissions'' at the shows.

He also fondly remembers the job he held as a teen, "putting jelly in the doughnuts'' at Lou's Donuts.

After graduation, he joined the Air Force. It was the first time he remembers being aware the color of his skin could make a difference in how he was treated, he said.

"When I went into the service, my mother sat me down and told me, 'It's not the same where you're going,' in Texas'' for basic training. At the time, bathrooms and restaurants were segregated, and skin color affected "who I could hang out with. ... A lot of my friends in the service would tell me how tough it was where they lived, in Louisiana and other places.''

He learned to be a firefighter in the Air Force, but when he returned to Framingham after his four-year stint, he didn't immediately go for a job in the local department.

"I worked at Sid's,'' the used furniture/home and garden store more recently known as Larry's on the Framingham-Natick line. Sid's owner "was really good to me when I was growing up.''

He also worked in construction before deciding to take the civil service exam.

In 1978, "Chief (Jerome) Burns hired me. I guess the rest is history.''

While Assencoa was not the first black firefighter Framingham hired - that was Ollie Gadson, who would go on to become Framingham's first black chief - he did make history in 1997 as the first to retire after spending his whole firefighting career in town, serving at the Concord Street, Hollis Street and Nobscot stations.

"Framingham was very easy for me to go into the station and work with the guys,'' many of whom he had known growing up. "As far as color, bad stuff, not in the Framingham department. You have to be good to each other in a job like that.

"There's an awful lot'' of memories of fires in town, but "my biggest thing was a car accident. A teenaged girl who had just got her license ... she was with her boyfriend. She smashed into a chain link fence.''

When he and other firefighters responded to the scene, "this young girl looked at me.'' He asked her how she was doing. "I'd be fine if I got this post out of my chest,'' she answered. "I thought she was kidding me, but she wasn't. I held the post while a firefighter named John Moore cut it with a hacksaw so we could get her into a helicopter to Boston.''

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When the medical helicopter arrived, "my lieutenant said, 'Give us a ring,' '' to let them know how the girl was doing. "She didn't make it. It was probably the saddest day of my life on the fire department.''

Even more than 20 years later, the look on his face says it's still tough to talk about that day.

Despite moments like that, son Wayne followed in his father's footsteps, as did Assencoa's elder son, Mark, a Marlborough firefighter.

Assencoa decided to retire at the age of 58. "They counted my service time. Plus, it's a young man's job.''

Before moving to Ashland in 1977, he had been active with the Knights of Columbus in Framingham, but it was the late Ashland Selectman Arnold Baker who nudged him toward volunteering in Ashland, first with the Democratic Town Committee.

Going to the Lions Club Flea Market that used to be a Marathon Day tradition was where he was encouraged to join that organization. "I said, 'As soon as I get over all my Knights of Columbus duties.' "

He now encourages others to get involved with either or both groups. "They're both great.''

There's also another group especially close to his heart.

"Special Olympics is something I'd like to see everybody get involved with. Everybody. It's such a high to see how the kids react ... to see their happy faces is worth a million bucks.''

Although he's very appreciative of the Ashland Day honor, it's those smaller rewards that mean the most, friends and family agree.

But perhaps the accolade that would make Assencoa proudest was given by one of his sons.

He's "an incredible grandfather to my three sons,'' said Wayne Assencoa, and "it really is cool being his son.''

Julia Spitz can be reached at 508-626-3968 or jspitz@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter at SpitzJ_MW.